It took decades to bring Ethiopian Jews home. But it takes only 1460 days to transform the lives of an entire generation through the Ethiopian National Project’s SPACE program.
Students who take part in this program have seen an increase in their matriculation rate by nearly 30%. Graduates of the program are able to do something that their parents never could—enter Israeli society on a level playing field with their contemporaries.
location
Lod, Israel
Funding began
May 1, 2006
contact
Lod Israel Contact
The UJFC | Project 1460 Story
In 2006, the UJFC adopted the “PACT” Early Childhood Program in Lod for the city’s 400 youngest Ethiopian immigrant children, aged 0 to six years old, and their parents. In 2018, UJFC began funding Project 1460, an adjunct to the success of the PACT program.
What is Project 1460?
Federation has helped bring tens of thousands of Jews from Ethiopia to Israel, but moving from rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa into one of the most advanced countries in the world made the integration of Ethiopian-Israelis one of the most challenging in Israel’s history.
Many immigrant parents are unable to read and write Hebrew and therefore unable to help their children acclimate to school or navigate society -- leading to a potential longer term cycle of poverty.
UJFC is helping to reverse the cycle by ensuring that young Ethiopian-Israelis will succeed in school, and in life, through a program that has a proven success rate.